Combined feeder and magnetic separator



H. CONVERSE.

COMBINED FEEDER AND MAGNETIC SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.21, 1920.

1,371,301 Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

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A TTORNEYS UNITED STATES HENRY CONVERSE, OF WINONA, MISSISSIPPI.

COMBINED FEEDER AND MAGNETIC SEPARATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

Application filed August 21, 1920. Serial No. 405,070.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY Converse, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Winona, in the county of Montgomery and State of Mississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gombined Feeders and Magnetic Separators, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a combined feeder and magnetic separator especially adapted for use with cotton seed, grain or similar fluent material.

The object of the invention is to provide a combined feeder and separator of this character which is adapted to be associated with the chute or similar instrumentality of any machine or system utilized to convey seed, grain or similar fluent material, which is effective when so associated to control the feed of the fluent material, and to separate metallic particles therefrom, and which is of simple and durable construction, reliable in operation and easy and inexpensive to manufacture and operate.

Other objects and advantages of the invention reside in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the combined feeder and separator;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view in vertical section of the commutator for the separator and its associated structure; and

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the commutating action.

Referring to the drawings in which is shown the preferred embodiment of my invention, the chute through which the seed,

grain or like fluent material flows is designated at C. The chute is provided with an opening 0 and adjacent the opening a shelf 3 is arranged.

The combined feeder and separator is associated with the chute and includes a rotatable shaft 10, which is arranged to extend transversely through the interior of the chute C adjacent the opening 0 and which is journaled in suitable bearings 11. A cylinder 12, preferably of insulating ma terial, is fixed on the shaft 10 and is rotated with the shaft. The cylinder 12 carries on its per phery a plurality of longitudinally extending bars 13, which are equally spaced about the periphery of the cylinder. These bars 13 are of material having the required degree of magnetic permeability, and each has provided at its ends reduced extensions 13 Each of the bars 13 is secured to the cylinder 12 by means of suitable fastening means such screws 13". These longitudinal bars 13 are adapted to constitute feeder ribs for the feeder and magnets for the separator.

Means is provided for rotating the shaft 10 and preferably includes a pulley 14 carried at one end of the shaft 10 and receives motion from the belt or the like 15 which is actuated from any suitable source of power. The arrangement of the shaft 10 and the size and arrangement of the cylinder 12 is such that as the cylinder is rotated the bars 13 which are carried thereby traverse the openings 0 of the chute and those traversing the opening lie successively above the shelf adjacent the opening. The bars which lie over the shelf S are thus disposed exterior-1y of the chute while those which do not lie over the shelf S are disposed in teriorly of the chute.

Means is provided for magnetizing the bars 13 and consists of a plurality of coils 16, one for each of the bars. Each of the coils 16 are wound about the ends of the bars 13 so that it is confined thereon beneath the reduced extension 13 thereof, as shown in the drawings. Each bar 13 there fore has separate and independent coils for inducing magnetism therein.

Means is provided for, energizing the coils of the bars which lie within the chute C and for cutting out or deenergizing the coils of the bars which lie outside the chute C, that is, the bars that are traversing the openin c and overlie the shelf. This means is pref erably controlled by the rotation of the cylinder 12 or the shaft 10 which carries the cylinder. For this purpose one end of the shaft 10 is hollowed out, as designated at 10 and the extremity of the hollowed portion of the shaft carries an annulus 17 of insulating material. A circumferential series of contacts 18, which are spaced from each other and which correspond to the bars 2 13, are embedded in the periphery of the annulus 17. A ring 19 of conducting material is also embedded in the periphery of the annulus 17, is spaced from the contacts 18, and is exposed on the lateral face of the annulus, as shown in Fig. 4. A mutilated ring of conductive material is arranged to engage all of the contacts 18 which correspond to the bars 13 disposed within the chute. The mutilated ring 20 is provided with a slotted extension 2O with which nuts 21 threaded on the outer end of bolts 22 carried by a pedestal 23 and extending through the slot of the extension 2O are adapted to cooperate to effect any desired adjustment of the mutilated ring with respect to the contacts 18. One end of each of the coils 16 is connected by a conductor 24 with a corresponding con tact 18. The conductors 24 are insulated and extend from the respective coils through the hollow section of the shaft 10 then through the annulus 17 to the respective contacts. The other ends of each of the coils 16 is connected by means of an insulated conductor 25 also extending through the hollow shaft and through the annulus with the ring 19. The ring 19 is connected by means of a brush 26 and a conductor 27 with one of the terminals of a battery 28. The other terminal of the battery is connected by means of a conductor 29 with the mutilated ring 20.

Referring especially to the diagram of Fig. 5, it will be seen that as the shaft 10 is rotated so as to rotate the cylinder of the 7 combined feeder and separator, the annulus 17 is rotated. The contacts 18 of the bars that lie in the chute are at all times engaged with the mutilated ring 20 while the contacts 28 which correspond to the bars which lie without the chute and over the shelf are not at any time engaged with the mutilated ring 20. It is thus obvious that the current from the battery flows through the conductor 29 to the ring 20 and thence through the contacts 18 with which the ring 20 is engaged and conductors 24 to one end of the respective coils 16 and thence from the other end of said coils through the conductor 25 to the ring 19 and by way of brush 26 and conductor 27 back to the battery As the cylinder 12 is rotated the bars that were within the chute are moved to without the chute and those bars that were without the chute and over the shelf are moved to within the chute and the contacts 18 are also rotated so that those contacts which were not engaged with the ring 20 and which correspond to the bars without the chute are moved into engagement with the ring 20 and vice versa.

In operation, it will be seen that as the fluentmaterial such as cotton seed, grain or the like thus flows through the chute, the feed of the same is controlled by means of the degree of rotation of the cylinder 12 and the longitudinal bars 13 which constitute feeder ribs. Furthermore the metallic particles of the fluent material are separated therefrom as the longitudinal bars 13 within the chute are magnetized and attract these particles and cause the same to adhere to the bars 13. As the drum 12 is rotated the bars that were disposed within the chute and which have attracted the metallic particles from the grain which has been fed past the cylinder are moved out of the cylinder so as to traverse the opening a and lie above the shelf S, that is without the chute. As the bars that lie without the chute are at once denergized or demagnetized since the coils 16 which energize such bars are no longer electrically connected with the battery,the contacts 18 which are connected thereto not being engaged'with the mutilated ring 20- the demagnetized bars at once release the metallic particles and they drop and are received upon the shelf S. This magnetic separator is entirely automatic and the making and breaking of the circuits is entirely automatic being controlled by the annulus 17, contact 18, mutilated ring 20, ring 19 and associated instrumentalities which constitute a commutator.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim:

1. An apparatus of the character described comprising, in combination, a chute for grain or the like having an opening and a shelf contiguous with said opening, and a combined feeder and separator consisting of a rotatable shaft arranged transversely of said chute and adjacent said opening, a cylinder fixed on said shaft, longitudinal bars carried by the periphery of said cylinder constituting ribs of the feeder and mag nets of the separator and adapted to traverse the opening and successively lie above the shelf, a coil associated with each bar for inducing magnetism therein, and means under the control of the cylinder to energize the coils of the bars within the chute and cleenergize the coils of the bars traversing the opening and overlying the shelf including a commutator actuated by the rotatable shaft.

2. An apparatus of the character described comprising in combination, a chute for grain or the like having an opening and a shelf contiguous with said opening, and a combined feeder and separator consisting of a rotatable shaft arranged transversely of said ,chute and adjacent said opening, a cylinder fixed on said shaft, longitudinal bars carried by the periphery of said cylinder constituting ribs of the feeder and magnets of the separator and adapted to traverse the opening and successively lie above the shelf, a coil associated with each bar for inducing magnetism therein, and means under the control of the cylinder to energize the coils of the bars within the chute and deenergize the coils of the bars traversing the opening and overlying the shelf.

3. An apparatus of the character described comprising in combination a chute for grain or the like having an opening and a shelf contiguous with said opening and a combined feeder and separator consisting of a rotatable cylinder arranged transversely in'said chute and contiguous With the opening, longitudinal bars carried by the periphery of the cylinder and constituting ribs of the feeder and magnets of the separator, means for rotating the cylinder whereby the bars traverse the opening and successively lie above the shelf, a coil associated With each longitudinal bar for magnetizing the same, and means under the control of the rotating cylinder to energize the coils of the bars Within the chute and deenergize the coils of the bars traversing the opening and overlying the shelf.

1. An apparatus of the character described comprising in combination, a chute for fluent material having an opening, and a combined feeder and separator consisting of a rotatable cylinder arranged in said chute adjacent said opening and bars car ried by said cylinder constituting ribs of the feeder and magnets of the separator and adapted to traverse the opening, a coil associated with each bar for inducing magnetism therein and means for energizing the coils of the bars Within the chute and deenergizing the coils of the bars traversing the opening including a commutator controlled by the rotation of the cylinder.

5. An apparatus of the character described comprising in combination, a chute for fluent material having an opening, and a combined feeder and separator consisting of a rotatable cylinder arranged in said chute adjacent said opening and bars carried by said cylinder constituting ribs of the feeder and magnets of the separator and adapted to traverse the opening, a coil associated with each bar for inducing magnetism therein, and means for energizing the coils of the bars Within the chute and deenergizing the coils of the bars traversing the opening.

6. An apparatus of the character described comprising in combination, a chute for fluent material having an opening, and a combined feeder and separator consisting of a rotatable cylinder arranged in said chute adjacent said opening and bars car-- ried by said cylinder constituting ribs of the feeder and magnets of the separator and adapted to traverse the opening and means for magnetizing the bars Within the chute and demagnetizing the bars traversing the opening.

HENRY CONVERSE. 

